2005 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

SKU #104449896 points
James Suckling

A meaty and decadent Lynch with very ripe currant aromas on the nose. Full body, velvety-textured tannins and a powerful finish. It shows so much structure and fruit yet remains polished and focused.
(10/2015)

96 points
Wine & Spirits

There's a relaxed feel to this wine. Cazes's team can dress Lynch-Bages in the black-tie formality of a first growth, but the wine is still lovely-a touch of gaminess makes it friendly rather than ponderous. There's something ethereal about its tannins, like a chocolate truffle melting in the mouth. (Daniel Llose used 80% new oak for this vintage; the yields were short so there were more new barrels to go around, and at a tannic index of 82, the wine could handle it). Pure black cherry flavor saturates the wine with freshness; the complexity is intriguing and silken rather than aggressive.
(10/2008)

96 points
Wine Enthusiast

Classic Lynch-Bages with just a bit of extra power and richness. While the tannins are structured, it is the velvety fruit that rolls around the mouth that is the most dominant character. It is coming together into a wine that will be big and dense, but never over the top. (RV)
(6/2008)

96 points
Wine Spectator

Textbook, with mouthfilling and slightly gutsy black currant, fig and blackberry fruit flavors bound together by singed cedar, iron and tobacco notes. Features a tug of loam followed by a second wave of fruit through the finish. This is just starting to stretch out. (JM, Web-2018)

94 points
Decanter

Almost forward but still young; spicy cassis lifts and lengthens its rich dark berry flavours. One of the best Lynch-Bages ever.
(ID)
(10/2014)

92 points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

As for the 2005 Lynch-Bages, it is a sexy, surprisingly soft and accessible style of wine, with a deep ruby/purple color, loads of crème de cassis, cedar wood and forest floor notes, medium to full body, ripe tannin and a long, fleshy finish. (RP)
(6/2015)

94 points, Neal Martin's Wine Journal: "The Château Lynch Bages 2005 has an enthralling graphite and cedar scented bouquet, like a young cousin of the Grand Puy Lacoste. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, one of the most feminine and elegant Lynch Bages in recent years with a lightness of touch on the finish. That is not to say it lacks fruit intensity, but the balance is so assured that is just seems to glide over the mouth. Stylish, assured and meticulous winemaking here." (02/2015)

2005 Lynch-Bages, Pauillac

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Product Reviews:

After a dozen years, this Pauillac powerhouse is just hitting its full stride. Acid and tannin are both powerful, but fully balanced and integrated into the rich, unctuous texture. The flavors linger over the palate for more than a minute. Violets, cassis, pencil shavings, mulberries, cigar tobacco, and anise. This will go for another coupleo decades at least.

First note, tasted at the estate 4-4-2006 8:45am. 72%CS 13%M 15% CF 80% New Oak. Very attractive, juicy sweet almost tropical, round red/black fruit with hints of pomegranate, fleshy and supple mid-palate, fine tannin integration, not a blockbuster in style but superb tasting. New Note...9-8-2017 at my desk. At 12 years old this wine is just a beauty, the fruit has mellowed and the wine has fully integrated into a balanced and beautiful wine. Showing soft spice, sweet black current and touch of the famous Lynch Bages cigar box character. 2005 Lynch is in a sweet spot now and will hold easily 15-20 more years but many of my friends and customers will love the way the wine now tastes now! It reminds me of a young 1989!

The 2005 Lynch Bages Pauillac is exactly what you want from one of Bordeaux's premier properties. 2005 was a fantastic vintage in Bordeaux and the 2005 Lynch Bages is a monumental wine. Blood red in color with spice and scorched earth notes the palate slowly unwinds to savory berry fruit notes and fine, smooth tannins. Notes of black licorice and mocha complete the long, smooth finish. This is a classic Lynch Bages in every sense.

I started a penpal relationship with Lynch-Bages owner Jean-Michel Cazes earlier this summer as a way to practice my French and in doing so ended up educating myself about the history of Lynch-Bages in the process. I brought a bottle of the 2005 Lynch-Bages to dinner and the other night and watched my friends swoon, after reading an email from Jean-Michel about the harvest and wanting to experience the wine for myself. He reminisced about the ease of the 2005 growing season, and about how the long summer thankfully never resembled the heatwave of 2003. It was "textbook" vintage, he told me, and the agreeable September weather allowed the Cabernet grapes to reach their maximum maturity. You can taste the perfection of that Cabernet in every sip of the 2005 at this point with its power and drive still fully intact. This wine has a long life ahead of it still as the tannins are still showing their might even twelve years after the vintage, but man oh man does this wine taste good right now. Brooding dark fruits, a bit of iron and graphite, and a core of concentrated Cabernet splendor.

Fabulous wine. I have a case in my cellar. Will cellar well for many, many years. Cedar and pencil shaving aromas with cassis flavors. The finish lasts a minute.

Drink from 2015 to 2035

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking.
A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

France

- When it comes to wine, France stands alone. No other country can beat it in terms of quality and diversity. And while many of its Region, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne most obviously, produce wine as rare, as sought-after and nearly as expensive as gold, there are just as many obscurities and values to be had from little known appellations throughout the country. To learn everything there is to know about French wine would take a lifetime. To understand and appreciate French wine, one only has to begin tasting them.

Sub-Region:

Bordeaux

Specific Appellation:

Pauillac

- Pauillac is probably the most famous village in Bordeaux. Located between St. Julien and St. Estephe, it has more of the top ranked chateau than the other four appellations of the Haut Medoc. This area has three of the five premier cru classe wineries: Lafite Rothschild, Latour, and Mouton Rothschild. There are two of the top second-growths (Pichon Lalande and Pichon Baron) as well as several outstanding fourth and fifth-growth chateaux including Lynch Bages. Because of the gravely soils and great drainage, Pauillac has the ideal conditions to grow great Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines from this village are some of the longest-lived in Bordeaux.